Apple To Dominate 2017

2016 was not a very influential year for Apple. The iPhone 7 was not as astounding as expected, hence the sales didn’t do well and if rumors are to be believed, future production cuts by 10% are to be observed. The iPhone 7 Plus is still popular, but a shortage of sensors for its camera has prompted Apple to scale back because it can’t meet demand. Also, Apple’s premium notebook lineup failed to earn recommendation from Consumer Reports, the reason being the poor battery fitted in the new Apple MacBook Pro devices of 2016. The models with the Touch Bar in the Apple MacBook Pros seemed to have a battery that is lower in capacity, when compared to the batteries in the Apple MacBook Pros of 2015.

The yearly sales didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in the company going forwards. Regardless of that, since a new year begins, we continue to expect a lot more from Apple since after all, there are a ton of potential new products the company is set to release.

2017 will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and the grand opening of Apple’s ‘Spaceship’ Campus 2 headquarters in Cupertino, where it will host all new unveils and Apple events at a new 1000 seat auditorium. If this doesn’t suffice, we have a lineup of Apple products listed here, releasing this year that are bound to dominate the market.

iPad Pro 2

Apple is rumored to be announcing the release of its new iPad, or iPads, very soon this year. So far there’s no sign of an official launch date, but we’ll keep our eyes hooked on to it. It has also been claimed the new iPad will be a little thicker than the current 9.7-inch Pro and iPad Air 2 models at 7.5mm compared to 6.1mm. The iPad Pro 9.7 has a 12MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing one, so we’d expect at least that from the iPad Pro 2. Chances are Apple won’t change the megapixel count, as both cameras on the iPad Pro 9.7 are already an upgrade on the iPad Pro 12.9’s snappers.

iPhone 8

It may not be called “iPhone 8”, but nevertheless, Apple is considering wireless charging, a new all-glass design, an embedded home button, and more, and this year’s iPhone update looks like it will be a significant one for what will be the device’s 10 year anniversary. We’d also expect a preview of iOS 11 at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June if the company follows its usual timeline.

New Mac | macOS 10.13

As for the MacBook Pro, we can expect slight Kaby Lake processor upgrades in the autumn along with much-needed price drops. There will be new Macs introduced throughout 2017 but we haven’t kept our hopes high. Apple launched new MacBook Pros earlier last year with 4K and 5K displays in collaboration with LG. An iMAc update is also on the list of rumors, it will possibly receive an updated graphics chips and new USB-C ports. No external design changes are expected for the next several years.

iWatch

The third-gen iWatch is said to focus on much-improved battery life and minor speed enhancements. Cellular connectivity and integrated cameras, perhaps for FaceTime, have been some of the most speculated features. The upcoming version will be proficient, and more importantly, ‘circular’ in shape, unlike its previous versions.

iOS 11

Apple introduces a new version of its mobile operating system for iPhones and iPads on a yearly basis, and in 2017, hence we’re expecting to see iOS 11. The company is also supposed to building its own social networking app that will go against the likes of Snapchat and Facebook. Apple has also been exploring augmented and virtual reality with a dedicated AR/VR team, and some kind of augmented reality feature could potentially be introduced in iOS 11.

Siri Speaker

The company notably released a new TV app for Apple TV late in 2016, which we assumed could really be seen as a first step to a full-fledged streaming service. With the fourth-generation Apple TV and AirPods, the company has shown how much attention it gives to the ease of fabricating such a device. With some combination of NFC, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, setting up an Apple speaker would probably be a great breakthrough.

BeatsX

AirPods are out, but Apple’s other W1-chip enabled Bluetooth earbuds called BeatsX are not expected to arrive until February. These aren’t cord-free, and they are priced similarly to AirPods at $149, but they are packed with a longer 8 hour battery life, lightning charging, and a more customizable fit than AirPods with all the pairing and connectivity benefits of the W1 chip.